BJOERN WERNER RETURNS TO THE UNITED STATES

Here is the second of a three-part series on Colts first round draft pick Bjoern Werner. In this series, Colts.com takes a look at Werner’s journey from Berlin to the U.S. The second part comes today with Chris Adamson, Werner’s high school coach at Salisbury High School, talking about Werner returning to Connecticut for his senior season after he spent his junior year in Germany.

INDIANAPOLIS – Bjoern Werner held true to his word and in the summer of 2009, he returned to the Salisbury School to complete his senior season.

Adamson spent ample time with Werner during the summer of 2009, lifting and running and helping the German get more comfortable with the English language.

It didn’t take long for Adamson to see some differences in Werner.

Another year older and with the perspective that a high-major Division I future was on the cusp, Werner exuded confidence that Adamson saw spread all around the Salisbury School.

“He was a difference maker on our campus because he was very personable,” Adamson said. “He’s a very sincerely, nice person and takes everybody in. There wasn’t a kid on campus who was intimidated to talk to him.”

Even with the scholarships rising in quantity and quality one that thing that didn’t change in Werner was his charisma.

Off the field Werner was a gentle giant yet once the helmet was strapped on, Adamson saw a different persona begin to take over.

One of the benefits of attending Salisbury was the ability for Werner to play against some of the nation’s top high school talent from all over the country.

At times, Adamson said Salisbury would oppose teams with as many as seven future college football players but the increase in talent rarely affected the play of Werner.

“He was the best one on the field week-in-week-out,” Adamson said of Werner. “It was pretty clear as a sophomore he was beating kids who already had Division I offers.”

“The way he ran things from behind, the way he used his hands to create separation, the way he shed blocks, it was just his natural instincts that were pretty remarkable.”

It was that innate ability that brought in offers from major BCS teams along the east coast and also the University of California and University of Oregon.

Wanting to be on the east coast of the United States, to be as close as possible to Germany, Werner focused on ACC/Big East schools and during January of his senior year an offer was about to come in at an unusual setting.

Thanks to his 6-3, 250 -pound frame, Werner was a bruiser on the basketball hardwood for Salisbury and when then Florida State offensive coordinator James Coley came to scout another prospect, he couldn’t help but notice Werner.

“Coach Coley saw Bjorn move laterally, get up and down the floor and he said he would be back next week,” Adamson said.

“(Florida State Head Coach) Jimbo Fisher returned and the more he watched the film, they just decided that they didn’t know where (Werner) was going to play but they were going to offer.”

The spot would be defensive end for Werner and just like he did back up in Connecticut, an instant impact was made in Tallahassee.

In Werner’s first collegiate game, he recorded two tackles for a loss and a sack.

He would go on to play in all 14 games as a reserve freshman defensive end for the Seminoles.

The maturity that Adamson had seen following Werner’s high school junior season back in Germany had only continued to develop and now he was about to embark one of the more prolific careers in Florida State’s storied history.

“He always rises to the occasion, that’s kind of his M.O.,” Adamson said of Werner contributing right away at FSU.

“You can never underestimate what he’s going to do because he always finds a way to just do a little bit more than you think he’s going to be able to do.”

FRIDAY’S FINAL SERIES ON WERNER CONCLUDES WITH ADAMSON RECALLING DRAFT NIGHT AND THE FULFILLMENT OF A DREAM THAT BEGAN SO FAR AWAY

CLICK HEREFOR PART ONE OF THE SERIES ON WERNER. THIS ARTICLE PROFILES WERNER'S INITIAL TRIP TO THE UNITED STATES.

Intro: The Colts put together their most dominant performance of the season on Monday night, in a resounding 41-10 victory over the Jets. Here were live in-game updates from the Colts (6-6) taking on the Jets (3-9) in Week 14.

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